Nickels (10 page)

Kyle turned from the picture and let out a low whistle.  Her
face heated.  “You look amazing.”  A smile played on his lips as his eyes
traveled from her head to her primly pedicured toes.

“You can thank mother Marcy for that.  She insists on
dressing me.”

“Well, she does a spectacular job.”

Now he was just going overboard.

She stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do next.  He
was still looking at her with those sparkling blue eyes, a hint of humor
resting in them.  She went to clasp her hands in front of her when the phone in
her hand reminded her of Marcy’s call.

“Marcy is running late,” she said waving her phone in the
air.

He nodded.

Niki had to think of something.  This staring at each across
the great room was driving her crazy.  “Would you like something to drink?”  She
walked towards the fridge.

“Sure.”

She listed off several options.  He settled on diet soda, so
she popped open two cans.

“This okay?”

He wordlessly took the offered can, taking a big swig.  He
leaned forward on the bar height counter across from her, expression serious.

“About Monday,” he started.

He would have to bring that up.

“I’m really sorry I upset you with my… when I asked about
Jack.”

Niki looked away as her stomach knotted.  Her eyes stung and
she hoped he would drop the conversation.

“I haven’t been the best brother or son, especially in
keeping up with my family until very recently.  I honestly didn’t know.  And,
frankly, you were the last person I expected to see when I walked into that
meeting.”

She didn’t move.  Didn’t speak.  She couldn’t trust her
words right now as tears tried to push their way forward.  She was nearly undone
by his genuine apology.

“Marcy said you were a programmer—”

“Software engineer.”  She found her voice to correct him. 
Angry was always easier for her.

“Software engineer,” he said tipping his head, “at some
important firm.  She never mentioned where you worked or that you worked for
DoD clients.”

“She doesn’t know.”

Kyle’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“I mean, she knows the company I work for, but I don’t talk
about my clients with her.”

She stared down at her soda then slowly took a sip as the
silence dragged.

“You know, you weren’t the only one she kept in the dark.”  Niki
looked back in his general direction, carefully avoiding eye contact.  “She
never mentioned that you were out of the Air Force, or that you moved here, or
that you worked at Helitronics.”

Kyle nodded, not offering any new information.  His
secretiveness irked her.  What was so wrong with saying something about why he
was out?

Letting her ire spur words to her mouth, she asked, “Why
are
you here?”

“I’m here because Marcy asked me to dinner with her and her
boyfriend.”

Great.  Being the third wheel would have been better than
having dinner with Kyle included.

But, she didn’t let his answer deter her.  “That’s not what
I meant.  What are you doing here, in Arizona?  Out of the Air Force?”

She leaned back against the counter next to the sink. 
Crossing her arms she waited for his answer.

He pulled out the bar stool at the counter and sat. 
Something akin to regret passed across his face before he finished off his diet
soda.

“Why is it so important to you?”

“Why are you avoiding the question, Kyle?”

He was silent for a long time.  He looked back towards the
picture in the great room.  She followed his gaze to the picture of Jack. 
Confused by his interest in her brother’s picture she quickly looked back at
him. 

When he spoke, his gaze remained on the picture.  “I’m just
not ready to discuss it yet.”

“Does it have to something to do with the pain?”

Kyle’s head snapped back and he fixed his attention on her. 
His expression changed from sadness to surprise to anger.  “Don’t press me.”

She watched his face carefully.  Fear widened his eyes.  He
balled his hands at his side, the pink flesh of his knuckles turning white. 
Dots of perspiration rested on his forehead.  His lips formed a tight thin line. 
Then sadness settled into the corners of his eyes.  He opened his mouth to
speak as his fingers relaxed.

“Hey, I’m home!” Marcy’s voice burst through the door from
the garage with its owner.  Her smile faded when she looked from Kyle to Niki. 
Neither masked their irritation with the other before she saw it.

She walked to her brother and gave him a hug, whispering
something in his ear.  When she pulled back, concern crossed her face.  “Should
you be riding the bike?  Are you well enough for that yet?”

He frowned again.  “It wasn’t that far, Marcella.”

She swatted at his arm.  “You know I hate that name.”

Turning towards Niki, she said, “Chad is going to meet us
there, so can I ride with you?”

Despite her earlier resolution to drive separately, she
nodded.

“Good, Kyle can ride with us, too, since he’s not supposed
to be riding the bike, yet.”

Kyle grunted.

Niki wanted to groan, but held it back.

“Give me ten minutes to change, ‘kay.  Try not to kill each
other while I’m gone,” she said already walking back towards her room.  “Oh,
and Niki, you look fabulous!  I told you that was a good color for you.”

“She’s right, you know,” Kyle said, all evidence of anger
evaporated.  “That is a good color for you—especially when you wear it the
right way.”

Niki narrowed her eyes and turned up one lip in a mock
snarl.  She finished off her diet soda and tossed both empty cans in the
recycle bin.

“Bike, huh?”

“Harley.  Couldn’t part with it.”

“I hope you have a second vehicle.  You won’t want to ride
that in the heat.”

She didn’t wait for him to answer.  She picked up her purse
from the counter and tossed her phone inside.  She walked down the hall and
talked to Marcy through her closed door to get more information about where
they were going.

Marcy stepped from her room, looking stunning as usual.  How
could she do that in ten minutes?  It took Niki forever to achieve a similar
affect.

The three of them piled into Niki’s car with Marcy taking
the back seat.  Once at the restaurant they found Chad already seated.

“Sorry, we’re late,” Marcy said as she kissed his cheek. 
She scooted next to him in the booth.

“It was worth the wait.”

Niki thought she was going to be sick.  Hoping to sit on the
end, she waited for Kyle to slide into the booth.  She wanted to keep a quick
escape in sight—just in case.  Kyle held out his arm, motioning for her to sit.

Marcy caught the gesture.  “I’m so sorry.  I forgot to tell
Chad to get a table instead.”

Kyle frowned.  “This is fine.”

“It’s no problem.  We can move if it makes you more
comfortable,” Chad offered.  Before anyone could say otherwise, he motioned to
the server and they were quickly reseated at a table instead of a booth.

Niki shot Marcy a confused look.  She dug her phone from her
purse and shot Marcy a quick text message to ask what that was about.  Marcy
texted, “back problem”.

Both Kyle and Chad were looking at them.

“Is this the new version of passing notes in class?”  Kyle
asked.

Marcy snapped her phone shut as she blushed.  Niki set her
phone on the table.

Breaking the awkward silence, Kyle asked, “So, Chad, how did
you meet my sister?”

Marcy’s eyes lit up.  “Ooo, let me tell it.”  At Chad’s nod,
she continued, “He dated Niki.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow and looked to his right where Niki
sat.

“Don’t dramatize this,” Niki said.  “It was dinner.  One
meal that I took home and ate by myself.”

“Anyway, I fixed Niki up on this blind date with Chad—only
he and I talked for, like, two hours on the phone to set up the date.  He
thought I was her.  Then when Niki showed up—”

Trying to keep this from getting out of control, Niki
interrupted, “I realized he would be perfect for your sister so, I gave him
Marcy’s number and suggested he call.”

Chad nodded.  “I did. And, I asked her out the next night.”

“We really hit it off,” Marcy said with a dreamy glance at
her boyfriend.

Chad grinned back.

“Why were you setting Niki up on a date?” Kyle asked.  “She
doesn’t look like she would have any trouble attracting attention.”

“Oh, she doesn’t date,” Marcy said.

“I’m right here.”  Niki waved her hand in the air.

“She doesn’t date. Not coworkers.  Not clients.  She’s
always working.”

“Marcy!” Niki exclaimed, embarrassed by her tell-all rant.

“Well, it’s true.  The only way she is going to find a man
is if God drops one out of heaven directly in her path.”

Chad and Marcy laughed, while Kyle gave a strained smile. 
Niki frowned.

“Lighten up.”  Marcy touched Niki’s arm.

“Did you invite me here to make fun of me?” she snapped,
jerking her arm away.

“Geez, Niki, I’m just teasing.”

“Unless you want to chauffeur your brother around, I suggest
you drop it.  I’ve got a perfectly good p—”  She was going to say pile of work
waiting at home, but that would be proving Marcy’s point.  “Plans for the
evening.”

“Like what?  The only thing you do is work.  You work all
the time.  It wouldn’t hurt you to get out.  Meet some people.  Find a
boyfriend.  Fall in love.  Have fun in life.”

Niki frowned as her anger bubbled up.  She was done with
this conversation.  What was Marcy trying to do anyway?

Flexing her hand open and shut, she contemplated her next
move.  When the server arrived, she grabbed her phone and purse and jumped up,
confident that she could make a clean break during the distraction.  Marcy had
gone too far.

“Niki!”  She heard Marcy’s voice fade behind her.  Then she
thought she heard Kyle scold his sister.

Whatever.  She would pick up some fast food and have a
pleasant night all on her own.  With her work.

By the time she shoved the restaurant door open, the tears
spilled down her cheeks.  She felt betrayed by her best friend, even if what
she said was true.  And that’s the part that hurt.  It was all true.  She lived
to work.  She would never find a man.  She had never wanted to.  Had she?

Swiping at the tears, she disarmed her car and yanked the
door open.  Sliding behind the driver’s wheel, she slammed the door shut as
loneliness washed over her.

Her phone beeped telling her there was a text message.

Am sorry.  Pls forgive me.  M.

She melted onto the steering wheel and sobbed.  Everything
Marcy said was true and it kept stabbing her heart over and over.

A soft knock on the passenger window caused her to look over
as the door opened.  Kyle slid into the passenger seat.  Niki wanted slide down
under the car.  Her embarrassment was complete.  Instead, she stiffened straight
in the seat, placing both hands on the wheel.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?  It was Marcy’s fault.”

Kyle angled towards her, wincing slightly until he leaned
his shoulder against the seat back.  “What she did was wrong.  She knows that.”

“She’s right, you know.  About all of it.  All I do is
work.  It’s the only thing I know how to do.”

She ran her hands up and down the steering wheel of her
parked car.  She turned her face toward him.  “Do you know what I did when my
boss told me to take a couple of days off?  I worked.  I painted my room.  Then
I did research and prep work for the Helitronics project.  That’s how I spent
my four days
off
.”

The silence stretched and Niki’s tears subsided.  The deep
emotion pent up for years pressed against the surface.

“You know, I wish I was her.”

“Why?”

Niki stared at a couple as they tried to find their car in
the parking lot with two children in tow.  The scene started a small
splintering crack in the cap she placed over her deep well of pain.  Something
stirred in her.  She wanted that.  But, if she pursued that—a husband, a
family—it would only end in pain.  She had her fill.  She could not take any
more.  Not one tiny drop more.

“Why do you wish you were Marcy?” Kyle reminded her of her
statement.

“She has everything—parents, a brother…”

Why was she talking to him about all of this?

Stiffening her posture, she sighed and put her key in the
ignition.  She was done spilling her guts to him.  The last thing she needed
was for a client to learn about all her baggage.  Even though he was Marcy’s
brother, he was still her client.

“Here.”  Kyle put his hand on the steering wheel to stop
her.  “Trade me sides.  I’ll drive.”

She hesitated.  He opened the passenger door, stepped out,
and walked around to the driver’s side.  When he opened her door, she eased out
of the seat.  He got behind the wheel as she shrank into the passenger’s seat.

Niki didn’t pay attention to where he was driving until he
pulled into the parking lot of the movie theater.

“What are you doing?”

“Teaching you how to have fun.”

Chapter 11